Solid ink jet (SIJ) printers may print on a web print substrate. A web, as that term is used here, consists of a continuous fed print substrate, such as the large roller systems used in professional printing for newspapers and magazines among other items. The web moves very quickly past the print heads compared to a print system that feeds cut sheets by a print head.
This faster substrate movement will place a much higher demand on the print heads to maintain a high ink flow rate. Without a high ink flow, the print system will become inefficient as the web would have to slow down to match a lower ink flow. This slows the entire system and the production levels of the print system would become unsatisfactory. Typical production ranges from 500 to 1000 pages per minute (ppm).
The high ink flow rate may result in internal head pressure fluctuations that in turn may cause interruptions in the printing cycle using typical ink jet printing ink flow.